Karan Johar-produced Yodha and Sriram Raghavan-directed Merry Christmasare clashing at the box-office yet again.
On Monday, the makers of Yodha —an action film starring Sidharth Malhotra — preponed the film’s release date from December 15 to December 8.
Almost simultaneously, word arrived that Merry Christmas — a dark comedy thriller headlined by Katrina Kaif and Vijay Sethupathi — will also open in theatres on December 8. Both films were meant to clash earlier on December 15.
Merry Christmas is produced by Ramesh Taurani’s Tips Films and Matchbox Pictures.
Yodha, meanwhile, is the first of an action franchise backed by Dharma Productions. The film is directed by Sagar Ambre and Pushkar Ojha.
Back in July, in an apparent reference to Merry Christmas, Karan Johar had expressed annoyance over Hindi films clashing ‘without the courtesy of a phone call’. Yodha was the first mover on the December 15 release slot.
“Clashing on a date without the courtesy of a phone call is hopefully not the way forward for the studios and producers …. If we don’t stand united in these tough and challenging theatrical days then calling us a fraternity is futile,” Johar had posted on Instagram Threads.
Other major Hindi releases in December include Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s Animal (December 1) and Shah Rukh Khan-led Dunki (December 22).
The Telugu action film Salaar: Part 1 – Ceasefire, starring Prabhas, will also release on December 22 clashing with Dunki.
